Educators getting sex abuse prevention training

BREWER – Religious educators are on the front lines in the Roman Catholic Church’s effort to prevent sexual abuse from happening in parishes again.

About 25 parish catechetical leaders for Catholic churches in Penobscot, Somerset, Waldo and Hancock counties gathered earlier this week at St. Teresa Catholic Church to learn more about the Child Lures Prevention program, the educational tool they will use to teach children, parents and parishioners to prevent, recognize and report the sexual abuse of children.

“This program gives children a good self-image by helping them realize their own dignity and self-worth,” Sister Catherine Green, a regional resource coordinator for the diocese, said Thursday, as she led the training session in Brewer.

The program was created by a Vermont man more than 20 years ago. The curriculum is designed for children in kindergarten through grade 12 to increase sexual abuse awareness and prevention. Designed to be used in public schools, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has modified it slightly so it can be utilized in a religious setting.

It is to be implemented in Catholic schools and parish religious education programs throughout the state during the next school year and is expected to reach nearly 20,000 Catholic youth. Similar programs are being used in parishes throughout the nation as part of the effort by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to address the recent clergy sexual abuse scandal.

It is the second abuse prevention program implemented in Maine since the abuse scandal rocked the Catholic church in New England three years ago. An overall safe environment program called “Protecting God’s Children” – which includes an ethics policy, mandatory background checks and sex abuse prevention training – was implemented last year.

Child Lures Prevention walks a fine line between making children aware of the techniques that sexual predators use and empowering children to say no if anyone touches them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable, Green said.

Others who attended the training session were enthusiastic about the program.

Deacon David Scamman of St. Albans coordinates religious education for the 120 children at Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church in Skowhegan. He said Thursday that the child abuse prevention program “has been a long time coming.”

Scamman said that in the past adults often have talked to children about sexual abuse using the term “private parts” for genitals. The Child Lures Prevention program tells children that the bathing suit zone, or the area of their bodies covered by a bathing suit, should never be touched by anyone without permission unless the person is a parent cleaning them or doctor examining them.

“I’m very much enthused about the program,” he said. “I think it will be easy to handle and well-received. … I hope that children will feel more comfortable talking about lures. I think that using the term ‘bathing suit zone’ instead of ‘private parts’ will make it easier for everyone to explain and talk about.”

JoAnn Hall of Orono said Thursday that she was surprised to learn through the program that there are 17 different kinds of lures used by abusers to entice children into situations where they could be sexually exploited. Hall is the parish catechetical leader for Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church, located at the Newman Center on the edge of the University of Maine campus in Orono. The church has about 90 children in its religious education program.

“As a parent of two kids, aged 7 and 10,” she said, “I find this material very, very valuable. I’m thrilled to have it. … I hope we can get the message out to parents. Every parent wants their children to be safe.”

The program also includes information on what motivates sexual offenders and tips on recognizing symptoms of sexual abuse in children, but also cautions that the same changes in behavior can be present in other crises like death or divorce. It also includes a section on how religious educators and others should report suspected sexual abuse to diocesan and other authorities.

Key elements of ‘Child Lures’ program

. Emphasizing the dignity and the rights of children.

. Explaining the warning signs of sexual abuse.

. Teaching adults what actions to take if children tell them they have been abused.

. Teaching children how to defend themselves in potentially unsafe situations.

. Creating a partnership among Catholic parents, schools and parishes in the education of children.